Chapter 1 A Love That Wasn't Mine

I got into a car accident trying to save Adrian Cross.

His first reaction wasn't to check if I was hurt.

…

Later, an ambulance called by a stranger took me to the hospital.

A nurse was dressing the wound on my head, warning me to avoid meat and seafood for now or the cut might scar. She reminded me to keep it clean in the summer heat to prevent infection.

Adrian stood by the window. He had just hung up his phone and walked over, the crease between his brows showing how irritated he was.

"Get yourself discharged and go home already," he snapped. "Do you have any idea how much business I've lost bringing you here? You're a waste of money."

I looked at him coolly but said nothing.

The doctor and nurse exchanged glances. His assistant was also in the room. That assistant had been there during the crash too.

Adrian had called me earlier, saying he was in the middle of a deal and had forgotten some documents at home.

It was one or two in the morning. What kind of deal happened at that hour? When I arrived to deliver the files, he was outside a restaurant with a group of people, talking animatedly, looking pleased.

However, the moment they saw me, everyone around him sized me up.

Someone muttered under their breath, "Adrian, impressive. She actually showed up. You won."

I was still confused when a car came speeding toward us.

There was a wide open area at the restaurant's entrance. The car was clearly aiming for Adrian.

…

My silence must have enraged him, because he grabbed my chin hard and forced me to meet his eyes.

"Listen to me, Selene Stone," he hissed. "Don't think I don't know what's in your head. I will never love you."

He picked up a napkin from the table and wiped his hands as if he'd touched something filthy.

"I'll grant you a request," he added flatly. "But don't push it. Be satisfied with one condition. Don't mistake my patience for weakness."

I let out a bitter laugh and lifted my gaze to him.

Somewhere along the way, we had become strangers. Whatever kindness he gave me now felt like charity.

All of his love was reserved for the one he cherished most—Ella Grace.

He had been supporting her for years, seeing her through school until graduation.

A sharp ache rose in my chest; my eyes burned. Slowly, I looked up at him and asked with a faint smile, "Any request at all?"

Adrian froze, as though a sudden thought had struck him.

His fists clenched. A flicker of panic crossed his eyes before he smoothed his face back into calm.

He already knew what I was thinking—using this moment to force him into having a child with me. But he'd made a promise to Ella.

I saw impatience flicker across his features, but there was no way for him to back out. "I keep my word," he said.

The doctor and nurse watched us like they were seeing a live drama. His assistant, amused, raised an eyebrow. "Selene, you're not planning to have Adrian's baby, are you?"

One look from Adrian made him flinch back.

Everyone else in the room seemed stunned, like they'd just stumbled upon some juicy scandal. Even passersby at the door had stopped to stare inside.

I took in the faces around me, feeling numb but with a new edge of icy mockery. A flicker of irritation tightened my brows.

I was about to ask Adrian for a divorce when his assistant's phone rang.

"Adrian," the assistant said sharply, "Ms. Grace is awake. She's refusing treatment and threatening to end her life."

Adrian bolted for the door without a word.

…

I let out a cold, sharp laugh.

Of course. The moment Ella was hurt, he could drop everything and run to her.

He'd been the same in our last life. Ella always had some excuse to summon him away.

When we reached Ella's hospital room, she was perched on the windowsill, clutching the frame with white knuckles, screaming at the nurses who tried to approach her.

Then, she saw Adrian in the doorway. Tears spilled down her cheeks.

She wore a white spaghetti-strap dress, her face pale as paper, making her look fragile, pitiable—someone who invited sympathy.

Looking at her now brought back the crash. She'd been there that night too.

I'd been struck by the car and thrown hard to the ground. Blood gushed from the wound in my head, streaming down my cheeks and blurring my sight.

I'd reached out toward Adrian with all the strength I had left, my throat filled with the taste of iron.

"Honey, help me…" I had choked out, voice raw and broken.

Then, the darkness swallowed me.

Adrian had been holding Ella tightly, not even glancing at me, the one who had just saved him.

Only when the ambulance arrived did he help Ella into it and finally notice me lying there, barely breathing.

He stroked her hair, soothing her like a child, terrified she might be traumatized.

And Ella, pretending to be shaken, watched me lying in a pool of blood. Her lips curved ever so slightly upward.

I should have known. Even in his office once, there'd been that same dress tossed across his couch. Water had been running in the bathroom of his private lounge.

I should have known it was her all along.

"Stay back!" Ella cried. "Addy, Selene saved your life. You told her she could ask for anything. She's going to make you have a child with her, isn't she? And you'll say yes, won't you?"

Her voice cracked as she went on. "I'm sorry, Addy. Just thinking about you and Selene having a baby of your own and knowing you'd stop loving me, I'd rather die than lose you."

She shifted her weight like she was about to jump.

Adrian's heart lurched. He was terrified she might really throw herself down.

Forcing himself to stay calm, he held out his arms. "Ella, come down first. Come here. Come into my arms, okay?"

His voice was low and coaxing, his eyes full of tenderness.

Adrian could do anything for Ella, the same way I once could do anything for him. He used to say soft, delicate girls should have pretty things.

He bought her jewelry and dresses, and transferred money into her account every month.

The first time I ever asked him for a gift, he snapped, "You're a housewife now. What do you even need those things for? Dressing up like that, who are you trying to seduce?"

Once, when my grandmother passed away, I'd hidden the truth about his flight just to keep him with me.

Listening to Ella sob on the phone, he exploded at me and slapped me hard across the face. "You can't even handle this one thing! If she were going to die, why not before today?"

I remembered when we'd first been together. His ears had burned red as he stumbled through his declaration of love.

But the moment he met Ella, the love he'd spoken of was already gone. From then on, it was only her.

In my past life, jealousy had clouded my judgment. I'd believed that if I did enough and sacrificed enough, I could win him back. In the end, all I earned was a tragic fall.

This time, I didn't want him anymore. This time, I would let him go and free myself too.